How Toby Keith’s Wife Supported Him Through His Cancer Battle
Tricia Covel supported her husband Toby Keith throughout his battle with stomach cancer. (Photo Credit: Variety / Contributor / Getty Images)
Meet Toby Keith’s Wife, Tricia Covel
Toby Keith‘s wife, Tricia Covel, stood by his side for nearly 40 years before his passing in 2024. They married on March 24, 1984.
After they married, Toby adopted Tricia’s daughter, Shelley. They later had another daughter, Krystal, and a son, Stelen.
In later years, Toby and Tricia welcomed several grandchildren into their family.
Additionally, Tricia serves as the President on the Board of Directors for The Toby Keith Foundation. The Foundation supports Toby’s OK Kids Korral, a home-away-from-home for families with children receiving cancer treatments.
Toby created his foundation and the OK Kids Korral years before he faced his own cancer battle.
He Received A Stomach Cancer Diagnosis In 2021
Although Toby received his stomach cancer diagnosis in 2021, he did not go public with the news until a few months later. After sharing the news, Toby took some time off from performing so he could focus on his treatments and spend time with his family.
Toby gradually returned to performing in 2023. His big “comeback” moment occurred during the People’s Choice Country Awards in September of that year. The ceremony honored Toby with its first Country Icon Award. Tricia attended the event as his date, and they walked the red carpet together.
After Blake Shelton performed Toby’s “Who’s Your Daddy?” in tribute, Toby took to the stage himself. He delivered a moving performance of his 2018 song “Don’t Let the Old Man In.”
The song includes lyrics such as, “Many moons I have lived. My body’s weathered and worn.”
Considering everything Toby has been through in recent years, those lyrics hit different watching him sing them now. The cameras cut a few times to show Tricia crying in the audience while Toby sang.
How Did Toby Keith’s Wife Support Her Husband Throughout His Cancer Battle?
In January 2024, Toby sat down for an interview with News 9 to speak about his cancer battle. It ended up being his final interview.
During the conversation, he shared how Tricia helped support him through it all. His face lit up and he smiled as he detailed how Tricia was there for him:
“Aw she’s been a trooper. She’s the best nurse. She absolutely – the first time we went to Houston, the hospital, she stepped right in, and she just took control, and said ‘We’ve got this, let’s go.’ She’s like, ‘We’re gonna get this, and don’t worry about it.'”
Clearly, Tricia served as a rock in Toby’s life, and he could always count on her support. Listen to him describe how she was there for him throughout his cancer battle by tuning in to his interview with News 9 below.
Toby passed away on February 5, 2024, at the age of 62. We continue to pray for Tricia and keep her in our thoughts.
